GREENWOOD, Ind. – Members of the Oklahoma Baptist men's and women's cross country and track and field programs were honored on Tuesday by the College Sports Communicators.
On the men's side,
Jentezen Smith,
Carson Kardokus,
Slater Ward and
Caden Martin were named Academic All-District while
Jade Byrd,
Kelechi Christian,
Kaylen King,
Delaney Riekert and
Sophia Strange took home accolades.
For Smith, Kardokus, Martin, Byrd, King and Strange, they are now repeat winners having earned the honor during the 2022-23 season.
To qualify, a student-athlete must have been of sophomore standing, possess at minimum a 3.50 grade point average, competed in at least half of the team's events and have legitimate playing credentials. The CSC also capped its nomination totals to no more than five student-athletes per squad.
Here's a look at OBU's nine award-winners:
Byrd,
Psychology – Was a three-time GAC Field Athlete of the Week honoree in the month of April and was a USTFCCCA First-Team All-American in the discus. She's the first Bison in the D2 era to earn All-America status in an outdoor field event.
Christian,
Pre-Allied Health – During the GAC Championship, where OBU won its third straight title, Christian won the 200-meter race (24.30) while also claiming third in the 100m (11.99). She also was a part of the 4x100 relay which won that event in GAC and facility-record time (45.80). All three placements helped her earn All-GAC First Team honors.
Kardokus,
Exercise Science – Back in October at the GAC Championship hosted by Arkansas Tech, Kardokus earned All-GAC Second Team honors after finishing in 14th place with a time of 25:26.9. Then during the conference's outdoor track and field championship, he had a pair of All-GAC finishes as he placed second in the 800m (1:53.97) and third in the 1,500m (3:52.28).
King,
Graphic Design – Competed at the NCAA Division II Central Region Cross Country Championships and during the GAC Outdoor Championship in early May, she finished in sixth in the 800-meter race (2:16.89) and eighth in the 1500 (4:48.52).
Martin,
Biology – A specialist in the decathlon, he won the shot put and placed second in the discus during the GAC Outdoor Championship and ended up finished in third overall with 5,264 points.
Riekert,
Biology – During the outdoor track and field championship, the sophomore posted a career-best time in the 400, 55.86. That was good for second place, an All-GAC honor and met the D2 provisional standard. She was also a part of the second place 4x400 meter relay team (3:49.36).
Smith,
Journalism – Placed second in the 400-meter hurdles events during the GAC Outdoor Championship in May. He posted a time of 52.72. Smith also finished third in the 110-meter hurdles (14.88).
Strange,
Nursing – Her year on Bison Hill was nothing short of sensational. She was the GAC Runner of the Year for the second consecutive season and qualified for the NCAA Championship. There, she earned All-America honors with the fastest time at the national event by an OBU runner. By the end of the GAC Outdoor Championship, Strange won the 5,000 in GAC meet record time (17:37.27) and also was victorious in the 10,000 with another record-breaking mark (36:29.22).
Ward,
History – Finished in sixth during the 110-meter hurdles (15.36) and 400 hurdles (58.87) at the GAC Outdoor Championship.
